VINTAGES

1998 Herb Lamb Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon

Notes from the Estate:

A difficult vintage makes this wine have a lighter nose of herbs, sour cherry, plum, cigar and spice. Drink now. Service: Serve straight from the bottle, with care to avoid stirring up the precipitates.

From a tough vintage, the 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon Herb Lamb Vineyard possesses a dense plum/purple color as well as a sweet perfume of minerals, blackberries, and cassis, medium to full body, an excellent texture, ripe tannin, and an evolved personality. An undeniable success for the vintage, it should be consumed over the next 12-15 years.

Sadly, there are only 300 cases of the 1998. The 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon Herb Lamb Vineyard (the first wine made by the new winemaker, Mark Aubert, formerly of Peter Michael), is a success for this challenging vintage. A saturated purple color is followed by sweet blueberry and floral aromas intermixed with creme de cassis and smoky new oak. Medium-bodied, with sweet tannin and a soft mid-section, this will be a plush, forward, immediately accessible Cabernet Sauvignon. Anticipated maturity: 2001-2016. Tel. (707) 524-4445; Fax (310) 889-0085